


Naomi's Return

by soupsaga



Category: American Gothic (TV 2016)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-03
Updated: 2016-10-15
Packaged: 2018-08-19 06:21:59
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8193529
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soupsaga/pseuds/soupsaga
Summary: Basically this is what would happen if Naomi ended up taking the Hawaii job... or what I would want to happen.





	1. Chapter 1

Naomi pulled her jacket tighter around herself as the December air of Boston formed a blanket around her body. She tried to navigate her way around the city simply by memory, but soon found herself forgetting everything she learned over the year she had spent in the Boston all those years ago. It had been three years since she left, three years since the woman she loved pushed her away.

Naomi weaved her way around groups of people, not having the patience to walk behind slow pedestrians. She soon found herself in front of a diner. As soon as she touched the handle, a strange feeling hit Naomi, it was one she wasn't familiar with. It didn't feel quite like something bad was going to happen, but it didn't feel like something particularly good would happen. It just felt as if something would happen, something that Naomi wouldn't forget. 

The diner was practically empty, save for the few police officers hoping to down a quick cup of coffee before their morning shift. As Naomi glanced around, she noticed a woman who gave off a familiar presence. Naomi could only see the back of her head, but she could see a small child sitting in the booth across from the woman. 

"You can sit anywhere, I'll be with you in a moment," a woman behind the counter had called out to Naomi. 

Naomi looked up and smiled at the woman, nodding slightly. "Thank you." 

Her voice seemed to catch the attention of the blonde woman with the child. Her head perked up and she slowly turned around, doubting the voice she had heard. Her eyes widened and she called out, "Naomi?"

Naomi turned towards the woman, almost dropping her purse as she recognized her. "Tessa, hi."

"Come sit over here," Tessa smiled, gesturing to the seat across from her. When Naomi sat down, Tessa pointed to the young girl and introduced her to Naomi. "This is Mia, Brady and I's daughter. Mia, baby, this is Naomi, one of Mommy's friends."

Mia looked up from her drawing and smiled up at Naomi. "You pretty."

"Thank you," Naomi chuckled, glancing down at Mia. 

"Are you back in Boston for good? Or are you visiting?"

Naomi took a minute to herself before answering her question. "I, uh, I'm back for good." 

Tessa smiled, "You should come over for dinner one night! Brady and I would love to have you."

Naomi nodded and smiled, "I would love to. As soon as I get my apartment together, I'll repay you by having you guys over for dinner."

"Did you tell Alison you were coming back? I'm sure she'd love to see you!"

"I haven't spoken to Alison since I left," Naomi bit her lip. "I couldn't."

Tessa furrowed her eyebrows, confused by Naomi's statement. "Why? Was she mad that you left?"

"She never told you," Naomi said softly. "I wouldn't have expected her too... Leaving Boston.... Leaving Alison wasn't a decision I made." She glanced over at Mia, deciding to carefully word her side of the story. 

"She's two, she has no idea what you're saying," Tessa shook her head. 

"Did she tell y- did you know what was happening between us?" When Tessa nodded, Naomi continued. "I don't know to what extent you know, but it was more than a fling. I loved her. She loved me too. But Tom, he confronted me and basically told me to stay away from her. When Alison decided that she was going to end her campaign, I went and saw her at your mother's house. I told her that eventually she would have to choose, me or him. And later that night, she chose. She said she'd rather keep her family. So she called her friend in Hawaii and gave me a "glowing recommendation" and sent me on my way. She ended things and I left."

"She never said anything," Tessa whispered. "She said you found a better job."

Naomi scoffed and shook her head. "No job was better than working for Alison."

Tessa reached across the table and gently squeezed Naomi's hand. "I'm so sorry that happened. But, I don't know if you've noticed, but Boston got a new mayor."

"I thought Alison started her second term last year?" Naomi frowned.

"Boston got a new mayor two years ago," Tessa smiled. "Mayor Alison Hawthorne-Price is no longer mayor. You should meet Mayor Alison Hawthorne."

"She left him," Naomi smiled. "I'm proud of her. He didn't deserve her. She deserved so much better."

"Every since she left him, she's been so much happier. You need to come to dinner at my house tonight," Tessa smirked. "She's bringing the twins over."

"It's her birthday," Naomi remembered, smiling to herself.

+++++

Naomi stood in front of her mirror, giving her outfit one last look. She wore a pair of dark skinny jeans and a white long sleeve blouse, along with a brown pair of booties she purchased last fall. 

Before leaving, she made sure she had Alison's present with her. She would feel strange showing up without bringing Alison a present, so she made her way to a local jeweler's after breakfast with Tessa. 

+++++

The drive over to Tessa's was the longest Naomi had ever driven. She was anxious the entire way. Would Alison react poorly when she showed up? Naomi tapped her thigh as she drove, humming along to the radio to distract herself. She thought about the nights she'd spent crying over Alison, all the mornings she wanted to call in sick because she'd spent the previous night wallowing in self pity. Was this dinner worth it? Could she afford to go through the pain of rejection again? Her thoughts were cut short as she pulled into Tessa's driveway. She killed the engine of her car and stepped out, making sure to grab Alison's present. She took a deep breath to compose herself before making her way to Tessa's front door. 

Alison sipped a glass of wine on the couch, watching her daughters help Tessa with dinner. It felt weird to not be the one cooking dinner, but every time she tried to walk into the kitchen, Tessa shooed her away and gave another lecture about how it was her birthday so she shouldn't be doing anything. 

The doorbell rang, which caused Alison to look back at Tessa. "Are you and Brady expecting anyone?"

Tessa smirked to herself before shaking her head. "It might be one of the neighbors. Their kids accidentally kick their soccer ball into our backyard all the time. Could you get it?"

"Gladly, I feel useless on the couch," Alison mumbled, making her way towards the door. She put on a friendly smile before opening the door. She could feel her eyes grow as wide as the moon. "Naomi," she whispered, quickly stepping outside.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry it's been so long! I've had a lot of personal stuff going on so I haven't really had a chance to really write. So, here's another chapter. I hope you are enjoying it.

Naomi smiled, locking eyes with Alison. "I'm glad you didn't forget me," she joked, biting her lip. 

"You're really here," Alison whispered. She stepped towards Naomi and wrapped her arms around her. Settling her head in the crook of Naomi's neck, Alison sighed as she was soon surrounded in the familiar scent of her former lover. 

Naomi nodded and gently rubbed Alison's back. "I'm here. And I heard we were having fettuccine."

Laughter vibrated through Alison's body, causing her to let go of Naomi. "What are you doing here?" she asked softly. "I thought after everything, I'd never see you again."

"I just moved back," Naomi smiled. "I ran into Tessa this morning, and she invited me over. I told her everything. And, she told me that a certain woman no longer has a hyphenated name."

Alison ran a hand through her hair and nodded. "Yeah. It's just the girls and I," she gestured towards her daughters by pointing inside of the house. "What about you? Anyone in your life?" 

"I haven't even thought about anyone in that way since I left," Naomi shook her head. "You were it for me, Alison."

"Can we talk after dinner?" Alison bit her lip, looking up at Naomi. When she saw Naomi nod, she gently gripped Naomi's upper arm before slowly leaning in to kiss her. 

Naomi was shocked at first, but she quickly adjusted, softly kissing the blonde. She smiled into the kiss as she felt those familiar sparks she missed over the years. Her hand found its way to the side of Alison's face, keeping her close. 

When Alison pulled away, she rested her forehead against Naomi's, scared that if she completely pulled away, she would face rejection. 

"I bought you a present," Naomi whispered, pressing a quick, yet gentle kiss to Alison's lips. "I'm not going anywhere, Alison."

Alison nodded and slowly stepped back, watching Naomi. When she realized that she truly wasn't leaving, she extended her hand. Alison could feel the all-too-familiar tingles as Naomi laced their fingers together. She flashed a smile at Naomi before leading her into Tessa's house. 

"Who was it?" Tessa called out, smiling as she stepped out of the kitchen. 

Alison raised an eyebrow at Tessa, semi-glaring at her younger sister, "Shouldn't you know?"

Letting out a laugh, Tessa walked towards Naomi. She quickly hugged her before glancing down at the intertwined hands. She smirked back up at Naomi, sending her a wink. 

Naomi blushed and smiled at Alison before turning her attention towards the girls standing behind Tessa. She quickly dropped Alison's hand and gave a small wave. 

"Harper, Violet come say hi to Naomi," Alison waved her daughters over. "Do you guys remember Naomi?"

Both girls shook their heads, looking up at the woman standing beside their mother. "She has a present for you! She knows it's your birthday!" Violet exclaimed. 

Alison laughed, nodding her head, "She does." She looked back up at Naomi and motioned for her to squat so she was eye-level with the girls. "Girls, this is Naomi. She and I used to be very good friends and she just moved back, so you'll hopefully be seeing a lot of her."

Naomi smiled and Alison and gently squeezed her shoulder. She turned towards the girls and gave each a small wave. 

"Naomi," Brady called out as he walked into the room holding Mia. "How are you?" he asked, giving her a small hug. 

"I'm doing well." Naomi smiled and stood up, glancing back at Alison. 

When Naomi turned back to Brady, he nodded his head towards Alison, "Tessa gave me a rundown on everything."

"I'm just glad she didn't forget about me." Naomi smiled, "That was one of my greatest fears."

+++++

Brady set his glass down before turning to Naomi. "So, Tessa told me you moved back. Did you move back for a job?"

"I actually am in between jobs right now. I just finished up a campaign in Florida. I missed Boston... the city, the people," Naomi smiled, her eyes drifting towards Alison. "I actually lived here for a few years when I was growing up, so I'm semi-familiar with it. But when I needed a change of scenery, I knew a city with a good mayor."

Alison blushed, smiling at Naomi. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for you. But, if you're up to it, I'm in need of an assistant. It's basically helping me plan events, meetings, and stuff like that. It isn't a dream job, but it's better than nothing."

"I'll definitely think about it," Naomi answered immediately. She wanted to say yes on the spot, but she knew she and Alison still needed to talk. 

The conversation switched to one discussing one of Tessa's new students, but Naomi wasn't fully paying attention. She half listened while observing Alison. She noted differences in her appearance from the last time she saw her. There weren't many noticeable differences, but Naomi could definitely tell that the blonde seemed lighter, as if a heavy burden -most likely Tom- had been taken off of her shoulders. She seemed more free and less reserved. Naomi enjoyed this version of Alison. She just hoped that this version still loved her the same. 

+++++

After Alison put the girls to bed, she made her way to the living room, where Naomi had been sitting on the couch. She walked slowly, trying to piece her words together. She had thought about this before, what she would say to Naomi if she ever saw her again, but she couldn't find the right words. 'Hey, sorry I sent you to Hawaii, my husband left a few months after you did,' wouldn't work. When she finally sat beside Naomi, all she could say was, "I'm so sorry, Naomi."

But Naomi knew Alison was struggling to find the words, so she gave a simple response. "It's okay," she shook her head. "You don't need to apologize."

"It isn't okay," Alison started. "It's not okay, I shouldn't have ended things. I though pushing you away would help fix things, but it didn't. You didn't deserve that. I thought that if I put my family first, Tom and I's relationship would magically be fixed. But I should have known better. Our relationship hadn't been practical since the girls were two. We shouldn't have had to make that arrangement if everything was fine. We weren't good enough for each other, we weren't what we wanted and instead of ending things, we dragged it along, hurting each other in the process. So yes, I'm sorry you got caught up in it. But I'm not sorry that what happened between you and I happened. I don't regret a minute of it. You showed me what it felt like to be loved when I was a stranger to the feeling. You allowed me to feel comfortable and happy in a relationship. I've never been able to find something as beautiful as what we had, because nothing ever will be. You completely changed me, Naomi. So, thank you."

"I still love you, Alison. Not a day has gone by that I haven't loved you. Even when I went to Hawaii. I couldn't bring myself to hate you because I loved you too much. I dreamt of this day, seeing you again, and it hasn't ever been like this. I dreamt that I'd come back and things would be as if nothing changed. But that wasn't what I wanted. I wanted this, I wanted to come back and not have to share you. And now, I can finally have that. Please tell me you want it too, Alison," Naomi whispered her last sentence, taking Alison's hands into her own. "Please tell me you need me as much as I need you."

**Author's Note:**

> Not sure when I'll update, but it'll happen eventually.


End file.
